Stockist/Retailer: Tanners

(2024) Made for Tanners by Ben Glover, at first I thought this might have seen a touch of oak as it has a definite sheen of almond or oatmeal on the nose, before more assertive asparagus and fresh-cut grass aromas win through. In the mouth it has good texture and concentration given it's lightweight 12.5% alcohol, full flavoured touching into nectarine and mango, and the acidity is well-judged, i.e. not too harsh or over-bearing for a balanced style of Marlborough Sauvignon.

(2024) An attractively package Provence rosé made for Tanner by Domaine Pey Blanc, it blends 80% Grenache with 20% Cinsault and is unoaked. Very pale in colour, on opening there's a big blast of pear-drops, a common trait in wines that have been fermented super cold. It's a touch difficult to get past that at first, but some watercolour paintbox and watermelon aromas come through. The palate it fruity and easy-going, pear again - crisp Asian pear perhaps - and small red berries, a peachiness develops. Certainly an aroma and flavoured-packed example, with a blast of fresh acidity in the finish.

(2024) Also made for Tanners by Ben Glover, this pours a pale- to medium garnet colour. The nose is lovely, softly laced with truffle and briar, but more about a pulpy strawberry fruit, glossy cherry and hints of clove and caraway. In the mouth it's more of the same, the fruit sweet and solid through the mid-palate, though there is a nice strictness thanks to taut tannins and acids that freshens up the finish.

(2024) Nyetimber's Classic Cuvée is a multi-vintage blend of the three main Champagne grapes, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Handily, typing in the code from the back label into the Nyetimber website will reveal the precise composition of your bottle: mine has 9.4g/l dosage, was disgorged in April after almost four years on the lees, and has plenty of reserve wines in the blend: based on 2019 (77%), it also boasts reserves from every year back to 2014. Shimmering light gold, there is a pastry and biscuit character, as well as a bold golden yellow apple and quince. In the mouth it is a juicy, flavourful sparkling wine with fruit that touches on the tropical before being drawn back by English orchard apples and citrus into a balanced finish. Delightful at any time, but this special release to celebrate Team GB's Paris Olympics comes in a special livery for the occasion. Watch the video for more information.

(2024) An organic Chardonnay in the Artisans Partisans range, from Limoux in the Languedoc. Limoux often offers great value alternatives to the white wines of Burgundy, especially when fermented and matured in French oak as is this example. Vines are 26 to 46 years old, grown at 350 metres altitude. Orange, almond and crushed oatmeal aromas, lemon balm too, in a subtle but creamy style. The sweet ripeness of fruit striking the palate takes one by surprise, then the nuttiness of the oak and richness of texture bolsters the hedonistic character. Acidity and spices refresh the finish nicely.

(2023) This is a selection of the best barrels, for a wine produced only in the best vintages, of Chardonnay that is wild fermented and aged in French oak. The oak sits fairly prominently, nutty, toasty and with a figgy richness. The earthy wild yeast character is a part the picture too. The palate has power, concentrated and rich with its 14% alcohol, again there is fig and smokiness, the fruit dry and incisive, apple and a pithy lemon intensity.

(2022) Only 20 barrels of this ultra-premium Chardonnay from Journey's End were produced, from a single vineyard block. Free-run juice was fermented with natural yeast in a combination of 300L and 228L French oak barrels, only 10% going through malolactic fermentation. Lees were stirred in barrel during 10 months for a rich and creamy, golden Chardonnay. There's no shortage of Brazil nut and toasty aroma, the fruit beneath quite cool with a stone fruit and pear character. In the mouth the oak and alcohol give a big, no-hold-barred flavour, but the key here is the excellent lemony acidity that slices through the nutty richness into a long finish.

(2022) From soils of red volcanic clay and 50-year-old vines, fermentation was with 'neutral' cultured yeasts, and the wine bottled early to preserve freshness. There is lemony freshness here, but even a hint of succulent pear and peach. Already there are nuances of flowers and Acacia honey in the mix. The palate has lovely fruit, a burst of tangerine juiciness that is a little different from the usual lemony character one might expect. Lovely, ripe style.

(2022) Surprisingly, this 'alternative' variety is from a vineyard planted 24 years ago - the first in the Hunter. It was fermented in steel, then matured in in a mix of barriques and larger puncheon barrels, all French oak, and no new barrels for 12 months. Creamy oak and a bright raspberry fruit on the nose, the fruit red in character. The palate has a lovely succulence and sweetness; there's intense cherry and ripe plum, some intense spiciness, and lip-smacking acidity. Tannins are chocolaty and rich in a deliciously full and satisfying wine.

(2022) Bollinger is renowned as a house that celebrates Pinot Noir - witness their über-expensive Vieilles Vignes Françaises, just like this wine, a Blanc de Noirs. PN TX17 is part of the PN project, celebrating vineyards in areas Bollinger consider as prime Pinot Noir terroirs. From a base of 2017 (though with 48% reserve wines dating back to 2006 in the blend), this comes from the unheralded 1er Cru of Tauxières (with just a smidgeon of fruit from Verzenay and Avenay). Tauxières is known for its limestone and clay soils, and for this wine around 50% was barrel-fermented. The dosage is a lowly 4g/l. I find the nose here particularly attractive. There's rich biscuit and brioche, but a cedary, almost meaty umami character, ripe stone fruits layered beneath. In the mouth it tensions dramatically: zesty lemon and lime is the spine here, but building around it are toast and mouthfilling peach and ogen melon, but that cedary, wood tannin grip, along with minerals and salts adds significant structure. It's an extremely intense wine, lingering on fruit, acid and a sense of  graphite precision.